The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

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Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Vatican
City, 26 March 2013
(VIS) – The Mass of the Lord's Supper that Pope Francis will
celebrate on Holy Thursday in the chapel of the Casal del Marmo
Penitential Institute for Minors (IPM) will be, by his express
desire, very simple, as reported by the Director of the Holy See
Press Office, Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J. Concelebrating with the
Holy Father will be Cardinal Agostino Vallini, vicar general of the
Diocese of Rome, and Fr. Gaetano Greco, chaplain of the Institute.

Around
10 girls and 40 boys will take part in the Mass. The Pope will wash
the feet of 12 of them, who will be chosen from different
nationalities and diverse religious confessions. The youth will also
say the readings and the prayers of the faithful.

After
the Mass, the Pope will meet with the youth and the IPM's personnel
in the Institute's gym. Around 150 persons are expected to attend,
including the Minister for Justice, Paola Severino, accompanied by
the Head of the Department of Justice for Minors, Caterina Chinnici,
the Commander of the Institute's Penitentiary Police, Saulo Patrizi,
and the Institute's director, Liana Giambartolomei.

The
youth will give the Pope a wooden crucifix and kneeler, which they
made themselves in the Institute's workshop. The Holy Father will
bring Easter eggs and “colomba” (the traditional Italian Easter
cake in the shape of a dove) for all.

Given
the intimate nature of the pastoral visit, journalists will be
restricted to the area outside the building and no live coverage will
be transmitted.

Vatican
City, 26 March 2013
(VIS) – Pope Francis sent a telegram to the Chief Rabbi of the
Jewish community in Rome, Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, with his greetings
for the Jewish celebration of Pesach, or Passover, which began at
sundown yesterday evening.

The
Bishop of Rome thanked Rabbi Di Segni for his presence at the
celebrations of the beginning of his pontificate and asked him to
extend the pontiff's “best wishes for the great Feast of Pesach”
to the entire Jewish community of Rome.

“May
the Almighty, who freed his People from slavery in Egypt in order to
lead them to the promised land, continue to deliver you from all evil
and to accompany you with his blessing. I ask you to pray for me,
while I assure you of my prayers for you, confident that we can
deepen our ties of mutual esteem and friendship.”

The
telegram was published on the home page of the Roman Jewish
community's website, with the information that Rabbi Di Segni had
been greatly pleased to receive the pontiff's greetings and that he
will soon thank the Pope when it is his turn to send the Pope his
best wishes for the upcoming Easter celebration.

Vatican
City, 26 March 2013
(VIS) – In their Easter message, the leaders of the Christian
Churches of Jerusalem invite the faithful around the world to make a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land, extending an ecumenical appeal to visit
those churches and to “walk with the living stones of this land,
following in the footsteps of the Risen Christ”. The text
continues: “The Christian presence here, in the Mother City of our
faith, remains a beacon of the light of the Risen Christ that the
first disciples were witness to in front of the empty tomb.”

“We
invite all people of faith and good will in the world, particularly
those in positions of authority, to strive for justice and peace
among nations. We especially pray for Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and
Israel, Egypt, Iraq, and all those places suffering political
upheaval. We pray for all victims of violence and oppression, for
prisoners, for those who live without security, fugitives, and
refugees, especially those here in our land.”

The
Christian leaders conclude by asking all those who cannot make a
pilgrimage to the Holy Land “to sustain the people of this land in
their prayers,” emphasizing that the Christina presence in the
region continues to decline.

Vatican
City, 26 March 2013
(VIS) - Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, Holy See permanent observer to
the United Nations in New York, issued a statement calling for the
adoption of a treaty banning the transfer of arms when violations of
humanitarian or human rights are taking place. The statement was read
during the Final Conference of the UN's Arms Trade Treaty, which is
taking place in New York until 28 March.

In
his message, the archbishop urged “delegations to work together in
a consensual manner in order to achieve a historic treaty to control
the international trade in arms.” He recalled that, since the start
of negotiations, the Holy See has called for “a strong, effective
and credible Arms Trade Treaty which will have a real and lasting
impact on all people longing to live in a more secure and safe
world”.

The
statement asserted that “the Holy See has stressed that a
responsible international arms trading system should provide strong
protections against the transfer of arms to countries where such arms
are being used against civilian populations in violation of
internationally agreed humanitarian and human rights laws. Further,
the Holy See has urged delegations to reorient the regulation of the
trade in arms from one which is controlled through the lens of sheer
economic interests to one which places overriding importance on human
concerns and protecting human life and families.”